Another beauty tip from Capt JJ: “You know how I remember it? girls love diamonds, so go for the diamonds. Or, you have to have balls to pass on the side with the balls. But the girls and diamonds one is easier, for me.”

ball diamond ball:
“Restricted in ability to maneuver. Working vessel.”

And, Capt JJ had to go there—“This is no good, either:”

— thanks, Capt JJ. I think.

If hungry for more, theCOLREGSInternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, published by the IMO, spells out in exhaustive detail the rules for lights, shapes (dayshapes like these), and sound signals.

Note: *No vessel ever has absolute ‘right of way’ over other vessels.* You can be the ‘give way’ (burdened) or the ‘stand on’ (privileged) vessel.

… and I think you got it right for the Costa Concordia. Can’t find any ball signals in the photos I see of her. The Captain must have taken them with him when he accidentally departed early in that life boat.

Lovely pictures, and informative! Now we need another post on night-time light configurations😉 The Costa Concordia, for instance, may not have displayed any balls, but it did display two red lights on the mast…